Take the Plunge

Have you thought about getting tested for hep C? You may be wondering if you should seek out testing based on guidelines.

Have you been tested, perhaps years ago, but now you are considering getting treatment? Maybe you are unsure, and you suspect you may have hep C and don’t want to know.

I must be honest; I have been there too. I learned a little about my risk long before I was tested, and that alone caused me to turtle down and avoid thinking about it until it was causing symptoms. By that time, I was just searching for the cause of fatigue, nausea, and brain fog that became inescapable, but not hep C.

Guidelines vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and I like the guidelines that suggest that everyone 18 and older should have a test. Implementing that guideline is not perfect, with there still being barriers to everyone in that broad age cohort getting access to seeing the recommendation or the tests.

Getting a hep C diagnosis

For me, it was an accidental diagnosis in the end. As I was prepped for surgery with an unconnected issue, I was tested, and it turned out I had hep C.

I had avoided the idea of having hep C, considering what little I knew, and as it turned out, my suspicions were, in the end, correct. That gave me no comfort, causing an awful bout of depression.

With help, I was able to gain some balance, and for me, treatment was, without question, my next step. I have never tried to convince any other person they should treat because it is not my place to tell anyone how they should act on their health, based on any judgment or beliefs I have on what is best for them. Not my place at all, or anyone else’s, in my opinion.

I can share the experience and knowledge I have acquired over the years, but ultimately it is always a personal choice. It is your decision to make, and I hope that we make these decisions with the best information available and take the time to consider the outcome of these decisions affecting each of us in our own health.

I have met people who swear they will never treat their hep C, and again, that is their choice, but I can’t agree with that being the best route for them or anyone, knowing and seeing what the virus can do over time.

Not everything in life is a choice we know, but some things, and in the case of choosing to get tested and treated, fall into the category of choice. We just hope we make the best ones for us, each of us.